Toyota's China JVs Feb sales double to 57,900 cars

Shanghai, March 2 (Gasgoo.com) Amid the recall crisis, Toyota may expect February sales by its two joint ventures in China to have more than doubled from a year earlier to 57,900 cars, AP reported yesterday, citing industry estimates.

Last month, sales for Guangzhou Toyota, the Japanese carmaker's joint venture with Guangzhou Automobile Group, climbed 50% to 17,500 units. Sales by its FAW Group venture, FAW Toyota, jumped 106% to 40,400 units.

"So far, it's hard to see any direct impact [of the recall] on Toyota's sales," said Rao Da, head of the China Passenger Car Association. "The crucial thing for them is brand reputation. If they don't pay great attention to this, it will eventually hurt the customers' trust."

Toyota Motor President Akio Toyoda yesterday apologized to Chinese consumers - who make up the world's biggest auto market - over its massive global recalls, including China's 75,500 Toyota RAV4 models made by FAW-Toyota in Tianjin.

Toyoda says he hopes to restore consumer confidence in the fast-growing market by handling RAV-4 recall quickly as China is important to his company, reiterating Toyota's "promise of quality and safety."

Toyota Motor's January sales in China rose 53% from a year earlier to 72,000 vehicles, including locally-produced and imported models.